Question 1

True or false: A fire during the filming of The Exorcist destroyed the MacNeil house set except for Regan's room, leading to persistent legends of a curse.

Accepted Answer

True. True. In January 1973, a major fire destroyed most of the set, mysteriously sparing only Regan’s bedroom. This strange event helped fuel the enduring 'cursed film' folklore.

Question 2

True or false: The original novel was based on a real exorcism case from 1949 in St. Louis.

Accepted Answer

True. True. William Peter Blatty based the novel on the 1949 exorcism of a boy in St. Louis, Missouri, widely known as the 'Roland Doe' case.

Question 3

True or false: The Exorcist was banned in Ireland until 1998.

Accepted Answer

True. True. The Irish film censor banned The Exorcist for its graphic content; the ban was lifted in 1998, when it received an 18 rating.

Question 4

True or false: The Exorcist won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Accepted Answer

False. It was nominated for 10 Oscars including Best Picture in 1974, but lost to The Sting.

Question 5

True or false: The actress who played Regan did all her own stunts, including the spider walk.

Accepted Answer

False. False. Linda Blair did most stunts, but the spider walk was performed by a contortionist named Linda R. Hager, not Blair.

Question 6

True or false: Max von Sydow was only in his forties when he played the elderly Father Merrin with heavy makeup.

Accepted Answer

True. Max von Sydow was born in 1929. The Exorcist was filmed in 1972, making him 43 at the time, so he was indeed in his forties.

Question 7

True or false: The film's tagline 'Who will survive and what will be left of them?' was written by Stephen King.

Accepted Answer

False. False. The tagline was written by Warner Bros. marketing executive Stephen Frankfurt, not Stephen King. King was a fan but had no role in the campaign.

Question 8

True or false: Director William Friedkin purposely fired a gun on set to get genuine scared reactions from the cast.

Accepted Answer

True. True. Friedkin fired a blank pistol without warning during a tense scene to shock actors, capturing authentic terror on camera.

The Exorcist Trivia Questions